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By Dianne Frazee-Walker

In 2004, I was falsely accused of a crime. I did not foresee how this unfortunate situation was going to morph into changing many lives in a positive way. In 2006, I founded Full Circle Restorative Justice in Chaffee County Colorado, which is a 501 c 3 non-profit   organization committed to facilitating victims and offenders to reconcile crimes and minimize involvement  with the legal system. The goal of the process is to lower the recidivism rate.   Image courtesy cartertoons.com

 I was introduced to the Non-Violent Communication founded by Marshall B. Rosenberg Ph. D. in 2007.  Patty La Taille, who is the current Executive Director of Full Circle Restorative Justice, and I initiated a bi-monthly Non-Violent Communication study group. We used Rosenberg’s Non-Violent Communication, A Language of Life 2^nd edition and the companion workbook as our guide. We appropriately named our group meeting Compassionate Listening Study Group.  I recognized the value of this innovative approach to mediation and communication skills and had a vision of incorporating it into the justice system.

Patty La Taille has taken Non-Violent Communication to a higher level in Chaffee County. She has attended two of Marshall Rosenberg’s (NVC) intensive workshops, and brought her newly acquired skills back to Salida, Colorado. La Taille facilitates NVC study groups at the Salida Middle School and Chaffee County Detention center. She, along with board member Karen, Latvala is educating students about new ways to resolve conflict with their peers.